While green beer is a popular St. Patrick’s Day beverage, red ale is always in style, with its “south of a dark ale” color that’s clearly not a pale or brown ale. The red tone comes from lightly roasted or caramelized malts, and the flavors are bigger and richer than pale ale, with notes of roasted nuts, caramel fruity overtones, and a medium hop profile.

North Coast Brewing Company’s Red Seal Ale and Coronado Brewing’s Mermaid Red are two of our favorites. The Red Seal Ale marries the malt and hops beautifully for a full–bodied copper–red ale with a long, spicy finish. Coronado’s Mermaid Red, a dark copper–red ale, promises a nice caramel and citrus hop flavor profile with just the right amount of carbonation for a refreshing finish. We hope you give these fine brews a try this season. We think they’ll have you seeing red, in a good way. • Mike Taylor, Beer Specialist